Broken Reflection
by oasis
Summary: When accidentally transported into another universe, Harry finds a society quite changed. It's a distorted picture, like looking through broken glass; the image is familiar, yet nothing is the same. Please R&R!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer

I wish I wrote Harry Potter because then I would have a huge mansion with lots of cooks and cleaners etc. Any volunteers!? Yes, No!? Tell me in your reviews, we'll sort out the details later! JK beat me to the post so I'm left with writing fanfiction. Any thing you recognise is hers, everything else is mine.

Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her.

'Come on, you can do better than that!' he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore, too, turned towards the dais.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.

Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place.

Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing -

Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second...

But Sirius did not reappear.

'SIRIUS!' Harry yelled. 'SIRIUS!'

He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, he, Harry, would pull him back out...

But as he reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back.

There's nothing you can do, Harry -'

'Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!'

'-It's too late, Harry.'

'We can still reach him -' Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go...

There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone.'

"He's gone! He's gone! He's gone!"

Harry could still hear the words echoing in his head as he woke up from the nightmare he had had every night ever since Sirius had disappeared behind the veil. He shivered with both anger and cold, surprised to find his pillow was wet with tears he was unable to shed when awake.

"I'm sorry Sirius," he whispered for the hundredth time

"I'm so sorry, if only I had tried harder, if only I had reacted faster, if only that stupid veil had had a security charm around it so that any one who got too close would be thrown backwards, how comes the veil of death didn't have more protection around it? You needn't have died, it was an accident, completely needless!" he muttered all in one breath and shivered again and finally realised his movements were not encumbered by warm blankets.

"Not again" he growled as he resignedly got off from his bed and found the tangled blankets on the floor. He had kicked them off in his urgent need to get to Sirius. As he made his bed again Harry listened to Ron's rhythmic deep breaths, his dreams undisturbed.

You don't know how lucky you are, thought Harry as having finished making his bed habitable again, he moved to get a glass of water. He felt as if his throat was parched and that he hadn't drank anything for days.

Harry moved to the window, where the light of the full moon was shining through a slit in the crimson, almost floor length, velvet curtains. He looked down, remembering another occasion when he had done the same thing and seen the huge black dog running wraith like through the misty, silvery grounds with Crookshanks close to his side.

Everything leads back to him, he thought sadly. Having finished his drink Harry got into bed and tried to get back to sleep again.

When he did finally get back to sleep, after a lot of tossing and turning, it was to find himself standing in the midst of the fight once more.

'Come on, you can do better than that!' Yelled Sirius ducking the jet of red light that Bellatrix Lestrange had sent towards him.

"You have to be much faster if you want to get me" Sirius laughed. The laughter was still in his face as another jet of light came towards him sending him backwards.

"No!" yelled Harry as he let go of Neville. He pulled out his wand and shouted

"Accio Sirius!" his godfather came zooming towards Harry. A maddened Bellatrix lunged for the tall man zooming through the air. She nearly caught his robes but he streaked passed her outstretched hands, leaving only the torn edge of his robes in her tightly closed fist.

As the rest of the order members began to round up all the death eaters, Harry flung himself into his godfathers' arms.

"Sirius I'm so glad you're alright", cried Harry, hugging him tightly.

"Of course I am alright Harry, you'd need some one much worse than Bella to get rid of me!" laughed Sirius.

"I thought she had got you," said Harry in a rather muffled voice into Sirius' robes.

"Harry" said Sirius, moving the sobbing boy slightly away from him so that he could look at him.

"Listen to me! I know you lost your parents very young and that you have had no adult totally there for you, but I promise that I will always be there for you, whenever you need to talk or even when you throw a teen age temper tantrum and tell me to get lost! You're stuck with me kid, and when my name is cleared, you will come and live with me at Grimmauld Place. I'll even take down my mother's portrait, rip it up slowly and flush the pieces down the toilet." Harry was still laughing as he rose to full consciousness, feeling happy and content for the first time in a long time, until he remembered that it had been just a dream, a dream made up by his guilty, frantic brain and all the sadness and anger came back with double the strength.

You broke you're promise, Harry thought as he pounded the pillow until he remembered that Sirius had never made such a promise outside of his dream.

"Wake up sleepy head," said a cheery voice flinging back the curtains from Harry's four-poster bed.

"Go away, Ron!" growled Harry.

"But its Christmas" said Ron,

"Time for opening presents, I'm not going to let you bury yourself in self pity today." And he virtually dragged Harry out of bed. Christmas! Last Christmas he had been staying with Sirius, how happy they had been. Don't think about that today of all days. He admonished himself angrily.

"Happy Christmas" said Ron

"Look who's just come in, come to pay your usual Christmas visit Hermione?"

"Yes," said Hermione putting down a struggling Croockshanks who immediately began to attack the brightly wrapped presents at the foot of Ron's bed.

"Happy Christmas Ron" she said giving Ron a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Ha-happy Christmas, Hermione" stammered Ron going a brilliant shade of red.

"Happy Christmas Harry" she then said turning to Harry and giving him a kiss too.

"Is it?" Said Harry morosely.

"Come on Harry, open this one, it's from me" she said briskly, ignoring his tone and offering him a bulky parcel.

"Advanced Defence Against The Dark Arts For The Gifted" said Harry opening her parcel,

"Thanks Hermione, I'm sure that will come in handy" when I meet Voldemort for the last time, he thought to himself but nevertheless offered a tiny smile to Hermione.

"Harry, I-I just wanted to say that you will get over this, it will get easier with time, and always remember that Ron and I are always here if you want to talk."

"Yeah, any time mate," agreed Ron from amongst load of present wrappers and a jumble of opened presents.

"Thanks, now let's go have breakfast, I'm really hungry," said Harry in an effort to change the subject. Hermione and Ron had told him many times that they were there if he wanted to talk but he couldn't seem to get past the huge lump in his chest and throat.

"Okay." said Hermione exchanging a worried glance with Ron.

"'Come on then." But when they finally started breakfast Harry found that he was not very hungry at all. He tried to eat the delicious food that was disappearing at a great speed all around him, but which to him might be made out of cardboard for all the enthusiasm he had for it. By the time every one had finished Harry's plate was still almost completely full.

"Harry you must try to eat some more" said Hermione in a tone that reminded Harry strongly of Mrs. Weasley. Don't think of her, she didn't like Sirius either, the way she kept arguing with him every chance she got.

"I'm not that hungry after all," he said

"Let's go, I can see Ron's dying to play with his presents."

"Excuse me!" said Ron In mock outrage.

"You don't think I'm still a child Harry"

"Some times I wonder," said Harry dodging out of Ron's reach.

In the afternoon after a hearty Christmas dinner, whilst Hermione was engrossed in a book about the derivation of house elves and Ron was reading a new book out about his favourite quidditch team, Harry sat gazing into the common room fire. If Sirius was alive now, he thought I would probably be with him. He imagined the snowball fights they would have, the wrestling matches, all the quidditch they would play. Sirius had been a fantastic beater when he was at school, Harry could see the two of them zooming over the countryside in the summer, whizzing in and out of the tall leafy trees.

"Earth to Harry" said Ron waving his hand in front of Harry's face.

"What?" demanded Harry blinking.

"I've been calling you for about two minutes, 'we were wondering if you wanted to come outside to have a snowball fight?"

"Yeah, okay," said Harry getting up, "let me just get my cloak."

"Great" said Ron, he looked surprised, having obviously expected it to be much more hard work to persuade Harry to come.

"You can't both attack me at the same time" laughed Hermione much later.

"You and Harry had no qualms about attacking a poor, defenceless, innocent me earlier. And you were so vicious Hermione, the whirlwind of snowballs you threw at me. Several went down my neck!" said Ron as he threw another snowball at Hermione.

"Careful Ron, You don't want to get Hermione angry, or snow balls will be the least of your problems." Said Harry warningly. Although his voice was serious, his eyes were dancing with laughter.

"I suppose your right," said Ron assuming a scared voice and leaping back as if he expected Hermione to jump at him.

"Stop being so childish you two, you are behaving like five year olds," said Hermione in a realistic imitation of Percy's clipped, slightly pompous voice that caused the other two to roar with laughter again.

"Look at the riffraff of this school" drawled Draco Malfoy lazily, coming over with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Potty who's been even more potty than usual, the weasel who is a hanger on as usual. Trying to get titbits off potty and the bushy haired mudblood are you weasel?" Crabbe and Goyle were laughing with vacant expressions as usual at Malfoy's every word.

"Get lost Malfoy," said Ron,

"I don't want to fight you today, it's Christmas after all"

"but then" continued Draco as if he hadn't heard Ron

"I suppose that even titbits is more than your family can afford, I hear those twin buffoons you call brothers, have opened a joke shop, did they have to sell your mother to pay for the deposit? I'm surprised that she fetched so much!" as Ron lunged for Malfoy with Hermione desperately holding on to his cloak

"Ron you can't get into trouble on Christmas day! You are a prefect now, you have to set an example."

"Let - me - go!" Harry pelted two huge snow balls at Malfoy's head, who having not been expecting it fell on to the deep snow getting his fine clothes plastered and his sleek silver blond hair wet with dirty snow.

"Huh" said Ron giving up the fight to free himself from a panting Hermione. He too bent down and threw several of the already made snowballs in quick succession at Draco who was staggering to his feet.

"You'll pay for that," shouted Draco and as he opened his mouth to bellow at them again a snowball whizzed right into his mouth. Laughter exploded as Draco spluttered.

"Well done Harry, that was a great shot!"

"Thanks Ron" said Harry laughing too as Malfoy and his cronies hastily made for the safety of the castle, no doubt to inform any teachers that happened to be there. Then Harry stopped, realising what he had been doing, was he so fickle that he could laugh and smile at trivialities when the only father he could really remember had died. For Sirius had been a second father, in all the ways it counted. Like James, Sirius had given up a lot to be with Harry, he had exchanged a life of comparative freedom under the vast, clear, hot African skies for that of hiding in a cave and eating rats. Unlike James, Harry had real memories of Sirius. He could remember laughing and smiling with Sirius, sharing meals with him. All he could remember of James was his last moments as he told Lily to run with Harry and keep him safe, dragged up by the dementors, memories which by their nature were bitter-sweet since it was great to have memories of his parents although it was their last minutes.

How can I laugh, as if nothing has happened? Wondered Harry guiltily.

"Harry, are you alright," said Hermione in a concerned voice

"You look really pale"

"I-I don't feel so good. I think I'll go inside, you two carry on though, "

"Nah, it's not so fun with just the two of us" said Ron hastily.

"And it's getting dark anyway." The three friends squelched their way in hoping not to meet Filch or Mrs. Norris on the way.

"I've got occlumency in a few minutes" said Harry to Ron, Hermione and Ginny who were sitting with him in the almost empty common room three days after Christmas. Ginny had gone home for a short while but had come back the day before since she said she couldn't do any work with all the explosions coming out of Fred and George's room.

"They're being much worse than usual, since they opened that shop of theirs. It's my O.W.L year after all!"

"She's as bad as Hermione," Ron had said to Harry, but in a low voice so that his sister and Hermione could not hear.

"But it's the holidays, you can't have lessons during the holidays!" said Ron aghast.

"That's what I said to Snape,"

"And what did he say to that?" Asked Ginny. Harry mimicked Snape's silky, cultured voice

"I'm sorry to so inconvenience you potter, but the dark lord won't wait for the end of your holidays! Whilst your mind is only slightly harder to get into than a door with the key still in the lock, to use a muggle expression, you need plenty of practice at occlumency."

"He said that?" burst out Ron and Ginny.

"The git!" Added Ron.

"Harry why don't you ask for some one else to teach you?"

"Ron, don't you think Harry has tried?" said Hermione before Harry could say anything.

"Professor Snape is one of the best at occlumency."

"Why can't Dumbledore teach him then?"

"He's too scared, scared Voldemort will put a curse on him if he comes to near me. That's why he wouldn't even look at me last year and it looks like he still hasn't changed."

"Harry, Dumbledore was doing it for your own good, to help you." said Hermione consolingly.

"Dumbledore is a manipulative man who sees me as a tool to be used as necessary, he doesn't care about me," replied Harry angrily.

"I'm sure that's not true, he cares about you a lot," said Hermione.

"How would you know anything about it?"

"Well I-I have seen - seen how worried he has been about you over the last few months." she replied, trying to look into his piercing emerald eyes. When had those warm, clear, innocent orbs become so cold and hard? She wondered.

"I'm going to occlumency, not that it will be of any use," said Harry getting up and flinging open the fat lady's portrait.

"I'm seriously worried about him," confided Hermione as Harry disappeared.

"You're not the only one," admitted Ron running a hand through his hair, which is what he did when he was really worried.

"Will he ever get out of this mood?" Asked Ginny.

"I honestly don't know," said Hermione

"But we and the whole world will be in a lot of trouble if the boy who lived becomes what we are all trying to destroy." There was silence at her words, as Ginny and Ron contemplated a dark, extremely powerful Harry Potter.

"But he seemed happy, at least he laughed for the first time in months at the snow ball fight but since then he has gone back to how he used to be right after you know?"

"Well there you are then, he's feeling guilty for laughing." said Ginny.

"What?" burst out Ron and Hermione.

"It's not unheard of, I felt guilty for ages whenever I laughed or enjoyed myself after the chamber of secrets incident. People had nearly been killed because of my stupidity! And I was laughing and joking as if nothing had happened."

"You can't go on like that forever though, how did you get out of the mood?" Asked Hermione.

"I realised that what had happened, had happened and that blaming myself wouldn't change anything, I would just be hurting myself but the world would carry on as it always does. Harry's grief is so strong because he feels mainly responsible for Sirius' death. Yes, Lestrange did the actual killing but it was Harry's mistake, which had brought his godfather there in the first place – to save and protect Harry. He has to forgive himself before he can enjoy life again and there is no telling how long that will take."

"But we will be there with him all the way." said Hermione briskly getting to her feet.

"Where are you going?" demanded Ron.

"The library."

"Why?"

"I want to read up on the process of grieving and how it affects different people, I am amazed I didn't do so before," said Hermione hurriedly as she disappeared through the portrait, leaving a baffled Ron to shake his head at his unruffled sister.


	2. chapter 2

Disclaimer in chapter 1.

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Chapter 2

On an early February Sunday afternoon, whilst most of the students were by the lake taking advantage of the unusually balmy spring day, Harry once again found himself hastening down to the dungeons.

I'll be in for it now thought Harry as he ran down corridor after corridor and jumped down the steps three at a time. How had he managed to fall asleep before meeting Snape of all people? Of course he knew exactly why he had dozed off, the repeated nightmares had meant that he was going to bed about three or four o'clock in the morning in hopes that his mind would be so exhausted that he would be able to sleep. This had resulted in him occasionally dozing off at odd moments, he didn't take dreamless sleep potion as he didn't want Dumbledore and especially Snape to know that he was still having problems sleeping. Surely he should be over it by now, Sirius had died eight months ago after all and he didn't want people to think he was weak. Also madam Pomfrey had explained that he couldn't carry on taking sleepless dream potion since there was a strong likelihood of addiction.

"S-sorry I'm late professor Snape," panted Harry as he ran into Snape's office.

"Potter, you are twenty minutes late," snapped Snape before Harry had even shut the door. Snape was already getting a throbbing on his temples that he knew would develop into a stupendous headache. The lengthy bout of the cruciatus curse that he had received just that morning for failing to assassinate the head of law enforcement had left him feeling seriously enraged with the dark lord and the death eaters in particular and the world in general. Seeing the sun of his school nemesis was not his idea of compensation for everything he was forced to endure.

"You may think that your fame means that you can get away with breaking rules and doing anything you want but I have not given up my Sunday afternoon during the middle of term only for you to turn up late."

"Professor McGonagall only told me about this lesson at breakfast." said Harry, rather annoyed by Snape's tone.

"That is no excuse. Some of us are very busy with other activities, I have to fit you in when I can. Do not be late again. Now get ready, I would have thought that Famous Harry potter would be able to defend his mind more affectively by now. Legilimens!"

About an hour later Harry was again to be found swaying on his feet, desperately trying not to fall onto Snape's floor. As it was, he was bruised all over from awkward landings, a few weeks earlier he had asked Snape if they could have cushions but Snape had refused saying that if Harry didn't want bruises he should make sure that he could defend his mind better and that a few more such falls may teach him to try harder.

"That was good potter, you stopped me from getting in once again but you have to do it in a more efficient manner, since you cannot sway like this in front of the dark lord. His attacks will be much stronger, and more brutal." Harry supposed that this was Snape's way of complimenting him on his progress and wearily asked

"Thanks, sir, can I go now?"

"Certainly not, you have thirty-five more minutes. Now that you have finally managed to keep me out of your mind for five times in a row, I intend you to practice as much as possible so that the ability should not slip again from that abnormally thick skull of yours." Answered Snape pressing a hand to the side of his aching head, too bad you couldn't take anti headache potion on top of the anti-cruciatus one. His head was starting to feel as if a couple of trolls were hammering on it but he was not one to shirk his responsibility.

"Legilimens." Harry was taken slightly by surprise and said the first spell which came to his head which happened to be a very strong deflecting charm that he had found in 'advanced defence against the dark arts for the gifted' which he had been practicing that morning. Immediately he saw memories that were not his own.

¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬

"Avadakadavra, avadakadavra, avadakadavra!" Said a voice that Harry recognised was from a much younger Snape. The spells were uttered so fast that the light from one mingled into the other to form a giant wave of bright green light. When the light had faded he saw three crumpled bodies on the floor, which were obviously of a mother, a father and their child. Above them he saw a boy in his late teens with greasy black hair whose black eyes were staring down at the bodies with contempt.

"Didn't put up much of a fight after all your bragging, did you McKinnon?" said Snape as he kicked the small body of the McKinnon child away from his father.

"All finished here Severus?" drawled Lucius Malfoy opening the door and entering the room. He gazed first at the bodies without emotion and then up at Snape.

"I don't know why you always insist taking your mask off before a killing. You know that there is a spell on it to disguise the voice?"

"I see that you have taken it off yourself." Stated Snape.

"Well, they are all dead, no one to see me now and the aurors are too late as usual. Come. The dark lord will be pleased with tonight's work."

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Sunset, on an early summer's evening. Harry was sitting next to Snape who was staring into the lake, an open book on his lap. As Snape looked over at the far side of the lake he suddenly stiffened. Wondering what had startled him, Harry too looked, a couple, their arms around each other were passionately kissing. Harry blushed, his face a furious red, quickly looking back at Snape he was surprised to see a pained expression on his potion master's face as he twisted a corner of his robes between his fingers.

"Damn potter and damn her!" said Snape suddenly. Startled, Harry looked back at the couple; they were gazing at each other, obviously in a world of their own. He saw the woman's long red hair, some of which was lying over the man's shoulders. As Snape stood up, a loud voice cried

"Severus, there you are, I've been looking for you for ages. Ooohhh!" a boy had ran up from the castle but stopped in surprise as he too noticed the kissing couple.

The couple stepped apart, lily's face went a brilliant shade of crimson to find that they had had an audience, her vivid green eyes widening in embarrassment whilst James, after a moment's surprise, grinned at Snape and put his arm around lily whilst he waved with the other hand.

¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬

Harry was abruptly brought out of Snape's memory, to find himself lying against the wall. His head was throbbing from being hit so forcefully against the unyielding surface.

"Ow," gasped Harry trying to sit up.

"150 points from Griffindor." Hissed Snape towering over Harry.

"What you-you can't, what for, I didn't do anything!"

"You once again invaded my memories when your only command had been to defend your mind against my attack, or did those words very conveniently slip out of that abnormally big head of yours potter?" Harry slowly rose to his feet, anger such as he had not felt since he had been in the head master's office, throwing everything he could lay his hands on against the wall.

"I have done everything that you have asked me without complaint, I have taken all your insults against my father, my godfather and my friends without uttering a word of protest but you have now gone too far. What I did was purely instinctive, I was surprised and said the spell that first came to my mind. Why would I want to look at your memories anyway? I have enough memories of death and torture to last a life time without wanting yours as well."

"Potter, you never hesitate to poke your nose into things that ought not to concern you. You didn't hesitate last year did you?" asked Snape triumphantly.

"You are just like your father and your fool of a godfather ..."

"Oh not that again, can't you get over a school boy's grudge for two seconds? My father has been dead for fifteen years, surely it is time you got over the events that you have turned from a molehill into a mountain. Ok, maybe my father and his friends bullied you at school but you have not been doing a bad job of taking revenge against them on a child. Ever since I entered this school you have been putting me down at every opportunity, from trying to get me expelled to deliberately spoiling my potions so that I would get a mark of zero. And I can't imagine that you took their bullying sitting down, they would not have carried on bullying a person who did not respond in kind, they were good at heart and pranksters to boot and would not have carried on playing tricks on an unresponsive prey. I have heard that you knew more curses when you entered school than many seventh years did when they left Hogwarts. What did you do to them professor?"

Snape's face, naturally pale went two shades lighter, his eyes exuded black fire.

"That is enough Mr. Potter" said Snape in a dangerously soft voice, but Harry was too far-gone in his rage to stop. All the angry things he had thought of saying to Snape after every injustice came tumbling out.

"So you were jealous of my father, of his popularity, his talents on the quidditch pitch, his friends, and even that he got the girl you had a crush on." Snape was livid but could not seem to find the words to stop the barrage of Harry's anger. His headache, which by now had developed in to a tremendous migraine, pounded through his head. Snape leaned against a convenient desk and let the boy rave on.

"And Sirius ..." Harry stopped.

"Yes, carry on potter, you have come this far, you may as well let it all out."

"Well, you are a spy professor Snape, how comes you didn't think of a way to get me away from Umbridge, grabbing me, forcibly if necessary for an immediate detention comes to mind. Also you knew that Sirius couldn't leave Grimmauld place and yet you goaded him by telling him that he was a coward and had deliberately let himself be seen so that he wouldn't have to go out in public. And how comes it took you more than four hours to get the order arrive at the department of mysteries? We flew on some thestrils and yet we arrived considerably before the order all of whom could apparate."

"Potter, I am not your chaperone, nor your babysitter, Dolores Umbridge was the head mistress and I could not have taken you away from her without a lot of trouble." he paused to let Harry ponder over the fact that Snape did not consider Harry to be worth the trouble involved and continued

"Also at the time I did not think of the option you have suggested. If you're pointing out my inadequacies, then may I ask why neither you, nor three of your little gang who were all aware that I was a member of the order did not deem it necessary to inform me of your vision before you broke into the head mistresses office?" he waited for Harry to answer but when the boy just mumbled

"We forgot," at his shoes," Snape went on

"As for your father and his friends, yes I admit I tried to give as good as I got but I was one and they were four. The incident you saw in the pensieve was one of many such humiliations your so good and honourable father and his o so wonderful friends put me through. During these lessons I have seen that you have suffered at your relations' hands. Let me tell you, you will never forget the humiliation of being forced to sleep in a cupboard, or being locked in a room to be only let out to go to the toilet, or of being hunted by your cousin and his delightful friends. Weren't they also just chasing you for fun? As you suggest your father and his friends were doing with me? As for the order arriving late, I do not know the reason for the delay but do not think I delayed telling Dumbledore of your foolish actions because of my dislike for you. Also consider that neither my actions, nor that of the order, would have been necessary if you had practiced occlumency as every one had been telling you to do." Snape looked pleased at the effect his words were having on Harry, perhaps they would go in some way to reduce the boy's arrogance and belief that he was always right.

"Now, added to 150 points reduction you also have four weeks of detention for shouting at a teacher and invading his privacy. Go!"

A crushed Harry stumbled out of Snape's office, his mind in a whirl. He hurried up the stairs and walked quickly along several corridors. Far from making him feel better his outburst and Snape's reply that the events at the end of the previous year were all Harry's fault had left a bitter taste in his mouth and a lump in his throat. He is right, the stupid git, thought Harry, it was all my fault. He was hurrying through an intersection that linked several corridors when a familiar voice called out from the corridor to his left.

"Harry, wait," said a slightly breathless Hermione granger as she hefted her usual school bag with its twenty or so books up her back.

"How did occlumency go?" asked Hermione, lowering her voice, as she came up next to Harry.

"It was rubbish, I've lost 150 points and I have four weeks detention."

"What did you do?" asked Hermione looking incredulous.

"It wasn't even my fault. I looked into his memories by accident for which he took off the points and then when I pointed out that he couldn't do that, he gave me four weeks' detention for arguing with a teacher."

"Harry," said Hermione exasperatedly

"Didn't you learn anything from Umbridge last year?"

"So you're saying I should have said nothing but meekly let him take all those points off Griffindor for some thing that wasn't even my fault?" demanded Harry angrily.

"Well, you didn't achieve anything did you by arguing? You just got yourself detention for a whole month. How are you going to practice for quidditch? The match against Slytherin is in two weeks. When are you going to do your homework? Harry, you have to get over this, we all know that you have had a great loss but you have got to get over this. It's been almost eight months after all." Harry made to pass, he couldn't take Hermione's lecture right now.

"Listen Harry," said Hermione grabbing his arm and quickly pulling him into an empty classroom. Shutting the door she continued

"I hate to see you like this, always so angry or silent or brooding. Why don't you talk to me, or even Ron, he's been very anxious you know."

"So you two have been discussing me behind my back?"

"Well it's not as if we can talk about much in front of you now a days," said Hermione sharply.

"As I was saying, Ron has been very anxious about you, he says you have lost your enthusiasm for quidditch, although your flying is excellent as usual there is no pleasure for the sport."

"So I have had a couple of bad practice sessions."

"It's not just quidditch, you've lost your enthusiasm for life. You don't play exploding snap or chess with Ron, you no longer hound me to spend less time in the library, in fact since we returned from the summer holidays you have even been spending more time there than me."

Harry smiled slightly.

"Hermione you have spent the last six years telling Ron and I to work harder and now that I am you're telling me to ... stop?"

"I want the old Harry back, I want my best friend back, the one who survived so much and yet never lost his vitality and love of life."

"He's gone forever," said Harry sadly.

"Sirius wouldn't want you to be like this," said Hermione attacking from another direction.

"He would want you to enjoy your life, enjoy Hogwarts, he would want you to get up to your usual mischief. He would thoroughly disapprove of the way you have let yourself go." The concern in her voice made the lump in Harry's throat return bigger and harder than ever.

"You know if you continue like this for much longer, you will lose all your friends. It has become very hard being friends with you, you have been like a prickly thorn all year, we don't know when some thing we say may set you off, make you burst out in anger or make you sit there with a huge frown plastered onto your face for hours at a time. Frankly Harry you have been very unapproachable. Both Ron and I have tried to help but I don't know how much more we can take. We are only sixteen, we don't want to be lumbered down by a boy who will not even talk to us when he has a problem, who keeps secrets that are burning him slowly away. Don't deny it, I know some thing more occurred that night after we returned from the ministry." As she looked at Harry's guilty expression she went on more harshly than before.

"I can stand anything accept when I am kept in the dark by my supposed best friend. I have tried to give you time and support but I have run out of patience. I know Ginny says the guilt of Sirius' death has made you like this but have you even wondered how the rest of us are feeling? No, you have been too engrossed in your own misery to once wonder what Ron, Ginny or I felt or thought. Have you wondered how I felt at almost being killed or how Ron has coped with having that brain on him? He still has nightmares about that, but of course you wouldn't know about that. The Harry I knew wouldn't have been so selfish, he was always the first to put himself in danger to keep others safe."

"It's my fault Hermione, don't you understand it's all my fault he died?" sobbed Harry, the fight he had been silently having for the past several minutes had finally resulted in him bursting fourth in a paroxysm of uncontrollable tears.

"He was safe and it is all my fault that he died. I am already a murderer in all but name."

For a moment Hermione was so shocked she just watched. Then, rushing forward, she engulfed him in a huge hug. Harry shook in Hermione's arms as floods of tears spilt over her shoulder. He seemed to be crying for everything that had happened in his life so far. He had hardly ever cried before, ever since he had been very firmly made aware that the Dursleys did not hold with Harry crying. So he cried for the death of the parents he hardly remembered, he cried for the loss of the comforting motherly hugs he now never would have, he cried for the loss of the strong presence and advice of a father, he cried for all those years of loneliness and misery and made to feel that he was a freak living on the generous charity of his hard working relatives and most of all he cried for the second father he had lost through his own actions. Hermione was bewildered, when she had first started talking with Harry she had not expected this, anger yes, a brush off yes, but never this. It seemed he was crying for the very world itself and all the wars and disasters that ever took place and all the atrocious and horrible things one human did to another.

"It's alright Harry, let it all out, you'll feel better soon." Said Hermione rather weakly, what should she say, what does one say in this situation?

"I-I'm so-sorry," Harry said at last when his sobs had slightly abated though his tears were still cascading down his cheeks as if from an endless stream.

"I've soaked y-you're r-robes." Feeling thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated Harry rushed out of the classroom, leaving a completely confused Hermione in his wake. What had just happened?

Harry rushed down a corridor trying to see through the misty sheen of his tears, perhaps he should have stayed in the class room for longer but it had been an impulsive reaction at finding himself crying on a girl's shoulder, boys shouldn't cry after all and he was sixteen. Harry ran. He wanted to get as far away from Hermione as possible. He wanted to disappear, to not exist, he wanted everyone to stop gaping at him as if he was a spectacle in a zoo or their hero and saviour or be avoided because they thought he was a madman. He wanted Dumbledore to stop seeing him as a tool to be manipulated for some greater purpose. He didn't want the whole of the known world surviving in its current state dependent on him, Harry killing the most feared and evil wizard to ever exist. The atmosphere in the castle suddenly seemed stifling, he needed some fresh air. Changing direction in mid stride Harry ran at top speed for the entrance hall and the grounds beyond.

"Stop!" cried a frantic voice but it was too late. With an audible smack, the tinkle of breaking glass and a bright flash of brilliant white light Harry potter had disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry felt as if he was going to burn up, heat was emanating from every pour. Steam came out from his ears and nose and every breath was a searing gasp of pain as his lungs requested oxygen that wasn't there. With horrified realisation he knew he would either explode or all the liquid in his body would be vapourised. As suddenly as it had come the heat was gone and instead Harry felt as if he was going to be frozen instead as his very blood seem to solidify in the all-encompassing cold. His teeth chattered and his fingers curled up. There were hundreds of bright flashing lights that made his head pound and the tears pour from his eyes. He heard millions of whispers that got louder and higher in frequency until Harry clutched his ears to try and make the scream stop but the wave of noise seemed to grind through his bones. Finally he had a sensation that he was being pulled apart until he thought he must be scattered to all ends of the universe, but even as he thought this the sensation was gone. One of the lights got brighter and brighter until it was boring past his squeezed eyelids. Harry felt himself being pulled towards this all destructive force and thought he must surely be breathing his last. I'm so sorry every one was his last thought before he thankfully sank into unconsciousness.

How long had all this lasted? Harry didn't know. It could have been only seconds or even days. He emerged from the dark oblivion to find himself lying on a hard, cold floor. As he moved he let out a sharp grown of pain. At the same time Harry heard a soft hiss of surprise and groggily opening his still aching eyes immediately saw a wand pointing straight at his heart. Blinking to clear his vision Harry moved his gaze up and saw a ghostly white face gazing down at him, its eyes pools of black fire.

"Professor S-Snape what happened?" gulped Harry feeling thoroughly uncomfortable by the unmoving man who was still pointing his wand straight at Harry's heart.

"I'm sorry I looked at your memories it was an accident, I'll try never to do it again." As Harry spoke he tried to sit up wondering if any bones had been broken after whatever he crashed into or in the ordeal since. As Harry moved Snape seemed to come alive, moving with lightening speed he conjured ropes and bound Harry's hands and feet.

"Moboli corpus!" said Snape and floating a startled Harry in front of him began to march away from the corridor where Harry had been lying.

"Professor what are you doing, put me down."

"Shut up, or do you want some thing a little more fatal? What's your name?"

"Dh, it's potter, Harry potter professor. What's going on?" Snape seemed to slow in his furious march through the corridors of Hogwarts, Snape's grip slackened on his wand and Harry's shoulder slammed into a corner of the castle's wall.

"I don't know what kind of stunt you thought you were pulling, what if some of the students saw you, half the school would have been running with terror. Did the dark lord send you?"

"What! Voldemort?"

"Do not speak the dark lord's name," spat Snape, jerking his wand so that Harry collided with the castle wall again. His nose spurted blood. Harry yelled with pain and swore loudly as the blood trickled down his face.

"No," continued Snape calmly as if nothing had happened.

"Probably some sort of stupid prank, a charm or Polly juice I'd say. But I don't know how you got his hair. Which house are you in? For a trick of this idiocy and magnitude it will mean the loss of at least a hundred points."

"I'm in griffindor professor, I've always been in griffindor." Said Harry trying unsuccessfully to move his hand so that he could wipe away the blood. Snape lapsed into a thoughtful silence and Harry attempted again to find out what was happening but Snape shushed him none too gently by saying that if Harry wasn't quiet he would shut him up by force. As they marched through the silent corridors Harry wondered if his duties had finally proved too much for the man and turned him mad. He was a vital source of information for the order though.

"Professor I really think you should see madam Pomfrey, we could go there now, I feel a bit sick as well, I think I hit my head rather hard on the floor. And she needs to look at my nose." Said Harry scowling furiously.

"Quiet, some one's coming." As Harry opened his mouth to shout to the approaching person for help Snape mumbled a silencing spell and shoved the bound Harry into a cupboard and shut the door.

"Mr. Weasley why aren't you at dinner?" it was Ron if only he could shout for help.

"Wasn't hungry," mumbled Ron's voice." Ron, not hungry that must be a first, thought Harry, usually he was one of the first down to dinner.

"I understand but you should not be wondering the halls alone, go back to your common room."

"Yes sir, sir why are you guarding that cupboard?"

"I am not guarding it, as a matter of fact there's a boggart in there, I am getting rid of it. Now go." When Ron had gone Snape opened the door and once again floated Harry in front of him. Harry was thinking hard, Snape had seemed considerate when talking to Ron, he hadn't taken off any points from griffindor when in his present mood Harry would have expected another 20 points at least to be taken off. They arrived at the gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office without any further delays.

"Success lies in resistance," said Snape and the gargoyle jumped aside.

"Don't think of forwarding that password, it is changed every day."

"Come in," said Dumbledore's voice as Snape knocked sharply on the door.

"Eh, Severus yes come in, I wanted to discuss the inf…" he stopped, as glancing up from a pile of papers he noticed Harry.

"Who have you got there?"

"He claims that he is potter, I brought him in for interrogation and identification."

"Indeed, well there's no need for force, yet, put him down Severus." Reluctantly Snape lowered Harry into a chair and untied him. Harry began rubbing at his wrists and ankles to bring back some feeling into his limbs, that rope had been very tightly bound.

"Please tell us your name and why you are here." Giving a startled glance Harry tried to speak.

"Oh, yes, I forgot" said Snape and waved his wand to release Harry from the silencing spell."

"I'm Harry potter professor Dumbledore, I think his duties with Voldemort have finally got to professor Snape. I told him to go and see madam Pomfrey but…"

"It's a death eater trap, we should inform the ministry."

"Not so fast Severus. Harry, Mr. Potter please tell us what happened before professor Snape discovered you."

"Well, I had occlumency with professor Snape and I um accidentally saw some of his memories. So he took off 150 points from griffindor and when I said this was unfair he gave me a month's detention." said Harry, giving Snape a furious look, who was looking rather startled.

"Professor Dumbledore, he can't take all those points off for some thing I could not avoid and give me detention for a month, how am I going to practice quidditch or do my home work, or even carry on with occlumency."

"Please go on with your story, we can discuss the other matters later." said Dumbledore.

"Well, then I talked to Hermione for a bit."

"This would be Hermione Granger?" asked Snape suspiciously.

"Of course, well she was angry with me for losing all those points and for getting so much detention. We had a sort of fight about me isolating myself after . . . you know, Sirius' death…"

"What!" barked Snape.

"I didn't know the mangy mutt had . . ."

"Severus!" Snapped Dumbledore.

"Please go on Harry."

"Then we sort of had a fight and she said she and Ron would not put up with me much longer. Well then," Harry coughed nervously and ran a hand through his more than usually dishevelled hair.

"I ran from her, thinking I'd go outside to get some fresh air. Just as I was about to go in to the entrance hall I crashed into some sort of glass barrier. Immediately I got attacked by all these horrible sensations."

"Please describe these, eh, sensations." Said Dumbledore thoughtfully.

"I felt a lot of heat, I thought I was going to be cremated there and then it felt so hot, but then it changed to icy cold. There was also a lot of what sounded like millions of people whispering or hissing and this sound rose very high into a scream. There was lots of very bright flashing lights and I was pulled towards one of the flashing lights. I think I then passed out and when I woke up professor Snape was standing over me wand held out, poised to attack." Harry said the last part accusingly, glaring at Snape, who was glaring right back.

"I think I know what happened, it's a very rare phenomenon though, very rare. I would be very surprised if there has been more than a handful of these occurrences over the last thousand years." He had both Harry and Snape's complete attention as both waited impatiently for the headmaster to clarify, knowing it would be quite useless to hurry him. Dumbledore walked over to one of the numerous instruments lining the walls and shelves and picked up a very oddly shaped one, which was emitting an intermittent high pitch sound.

"As I thought," said Dumbledore.

"There has been a large rapture in the magical field." Both Harry and Snape looked blank.

"What?"

"Mr. Potter, Severus, I am sure both of you are aware of the unusual amount of magic that surrounds Hogwarts and extends into Hogsmeed. There are thousands of very sophisticated wards that keep the castle and its inhabitants safe from external penetration. The founders did an excellent job and this has been added too by every head master or headmistress since. It is very difficult to enter Hogwarts uninvited. Mr. Potter, your entry activated the defensive wards. Somehow you were able to neutralise these, however, it has left a large hole in the castle's defences. I am afraid our enemies will notice this discontinuity in the magical field soon. The wards are being repaired automatically as I speak but the rapture was such that I will have to soon attend to it personally so there isn't much time."

"Professor Dumbledore what are you talking about? I didn't attack anything or go anywhere. I was already in Hogwarts as I explained to you, I haven't left the place for months."

Dumbledore sighed

"Mr. potter, you are no longer in Hogwarts." Dumbledore raised a hand to prevent Harry's startled exclamation.

"Please sit back down. What I meant to say is, you are no longer in your Hogwarts. This..."

"But where am I then? This looks like Hogwarts, the castle looks the same, you and professor Snape both look…" Harry came to a halt as he saw that Dumbledore did look slightly different. There were many more lines in his haggard face. This man's eyes were not twinkling, as Dumbledore's were wont to do. Now that he looked more closely he saw that this Dumbledore's hair and beard was slightly paler. His beard was wispy and Harry blinked when he saw a bald patch on Dumbledore's head that he had never seen in his counterparts. Harry glanced at Snape and saw that he too was different, much thinner and more haggard looking. Was that the robe he'd been wearing earlier? It looked different somehow, some thing different about the cut of the shoulder.

"You are in another universe," continued Dumbledore as Harry continued to look over Snape.

"But how can I be in another universe? I mean I thought there was only one." Said Harry anxiously, his eyes again flickering to Dumbledore's bald patch, he couldn't take all this in.

"There is a theory that there are many so called alternate dimensions or universes, occupying the same space but in a different frequency. The theory is very complicated but it is said that usually these universes exist without any contact or intervention with others. Occasionally however, and no one understands the reasons for this, some one from one universe manages to enter another. The sensations and pain you experienced was this universe resisting a foreign body, as structurally you will be slightly different. This cannot be much though or you would not be here. Your universe must be very similar to ours but there will be some differences."

"You mean there are all these potters and blacks running around all over the place?" Said Snape who had been silent throughout Dumbledore's speech.

"More to the point there are many Voldemorts, imagine what would happen if one managed to enter this universe," said Dumbledore quickly and Snape blanched.

"Now Mr. Potter time is running short." Said Dumbledore glancing over at more flashing instruments.

"I must ask you to show me your memories of the journey. I will have to do a lot of research to find out exactly how you got here, and more to the point how to send you back."

Harry watched as his memories flashed past in the misty substance of Dumbledore's pensieve making him queasy all over again.

When it was over Dumbledore locked the pensive away.

"You will have to take some veritaserum, you understand we can trust no one in the middle of a war. He opened a drawer and took out a little bottle.

Dumbledore poured out three drops onto Harry's tongue and waited for the potion to take affect. When Harry's eyes had gone sufficiently vacant Dumbledore said

"Harry do you or have you ever worked for Voldemort?" both he and Snape waited anxiously for Harry's response.

"No."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

"Yes," both jumped. Snape smiled thinly at Dumbledore as if to say, I told you and took out his wand.

"Please explain." Said Dumbledore.

"What is there to explain? He's a death eater!" Said Snape.

"During my first year professor Quirrell was possessed by lord Voldemort. Voldemort was trying to steal the philosophers' stone, which was hidden at Hogwarts to make the alexia of life." Said Harry in a monotonous tone, his expression neutral.

"When I touched quirrell his skin began to burn off and melt as a result of the protection my mother had left in me. When Voldemort left him, quirrell died."

"But that was an accident, some thing you could not avoid and more Voldemort's fault than yours. Have you killed anyone else?"

"It was my fault that Sirius died in the department of mysteries. I went to save him and instead let him and my friends into Voldemort's trap."

"Very well, have you ever killed anyone else?" asked Dumbledore.

"No."

"I think that is enough for now" said Dumbledore and gave Harry three drops of the veritaserum restores potion.

Harry sat up and looked again at Dumbledore. As the head master was returning the two potion bottles back to their drawer he said

"The veritaserum restores potion only works after veritaserum has been offered Mr potter, so you could not have taken that before I gave you veritaserum in order to keep your mind. We are therefore satisfied with your answers. Now I haven't much time. You must of course continue your education whilst you are here, Education is important in whichever universe you are in I'm sure."

"Great," mumbled Harry.

"We wouldn't want you falling behind potter." Sneered Snape, receiving an evil look from Harry for his efforts.

"You must of course be sorted again, accio sorting hat." Dumbledore place the old patched hat on Harry's head.

"O my goodness, Harry potter again? I'm sure I sorted you several years ago."

"Long story." Muttered Harry.

"Ah yes, travelled from another universe, well that doesn't happen often. You have come a long way, haven't you? My first interuniversal sorting. Well let see, lets see." Said the hat thoughtfully.

"Very stubborn indeed, of course some do call it determination. Thirst to prove yourself, loyal and hard working but above all brave and daring. Griffindor!" when Harry took the hat off with a muttered thank you, he was surprised to see that his robes had changed colour. Although most of it had remained black the edges, sleeves and neck were interwoven with red and gold.

"What happened to my robes? It's changed colour."

"Of course it has," said Snape, rather annoyed.

"Nothing unusual in that, when you are sorted your robes are automatically changed into the colours of your house, side affect of the spells on the sorting hat."

"Oh," said Harry feeling rather foolish.

"Of course you must change your appearance whilst you are here. We can't have Harry potter running around." Said Dumbledore.

"Transformo facies imago incognitus." Harry felt a tingling, itching sensation all over. Dumbledore handed him a mirror and Harry saw that his hair was now neatly lying on his head. It was brown and fell slightly below his ears. His vivid green eyes had been changed into a nondescript, dull blue. His nose was now slightly longer than before and his cheekbones and jaw line had also been changed. His infamous scar was also gone although his forehead was now rather spotty, especially where the scar had been.

"You must redo this spell every two hours." Said Dumbledore.

"It is a rather complicated spell, I would suggest you practice it later tonight, picture what you look like now and all should be fine. Make sure you are consistent though, it would look very suspicious if one day your eyes a blue and next they are brown. I am sure that I need not emphasise how important it is that you keep your presence here a secret. Mr. Potter, make sure no one finds out who you really are. If anyone asks, say that you are a transfer student from … The Australian Academy Of Magic."

"Won't people find it unusual that he is transferring in the middle of a war?" said Snape.

"Say that … your father has been relocated to England and of course he wanted his family near by." Said Dumbledore.

"Now" Dumbledore continued

"I think dinner should be still going on, I'm sure you must be hungry."

"Professor what about books and clothes?" asked Harry.

"School funds will be used to get you all the necessities. A trunk with all the essentials will be put in the boys' dormitory in Griffindor tower by tomorrow." Severus, may I have a word?"

"Eh, thanks professor Dumbledore, for all that you've done." Said Harry. Just before he turned away, Harry could have sworn that he caught a glimmer of suspicion in Dumbledore's expression. Harry went out of the office and trudged towards the great hall, suddenly feeling ravenous. With all that had occurred, it seemed like several days had past since breakfast and he hadn't been able to muster up the effort for lunch.


End file.
